Book Review: Tonight The Streets Are Ours

Author: Leila Sales

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

From the author of This Song Will Save Your Life comes a funny and relatable book about the hazards of falling for a person you haven't met yet.

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom. 

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

"Love means sometimes sacrificing the things you want in order to make someone else happy. It means being there for someone, even when maybe you don't feel like it, because they need you."

“Like all stories, the one you’re about to read is a love story.”

“You were promised a love story. And this is mine.”

“But that's the thing: when you swear to take someone's side no matter what, sometimes you have to go to war for them.” 

“Hurting people, really, deeply hurting them - that isn't something you do on purpose. It's just a by-product of living.” 

I will always have high hopes when I go into a Leila Sales novel. She never disappoints. This book was such a fun, fast-paced read for me; I was done with the book after two nights of reading. The story follows Arden, a girl who is fiercely loyal and tends to be the dependable person in most of the lives of the people she knows. She soon realizes how unhappy she is and how no one is there for her like she is for them, and she is able to find comfort in a blog called Tonight The Streets Are Ours. The blog is written by a boy her age named Peter. Arden becomes completely enthralled by his words and when he blogs about his recent break-up, she decides, spontaneously, to take a road trip to meet him. They spend time in New York City and do everything imaginable in the span of just one night. Arden realizes that Peter is not who she thought he would be, but she quickly learns that she is not the same person that she thought she was either. This was, overall, a great coming of age story. Arden grows so much in the span of just a few pages and her journey into finding herself is definitely worth a second read.

The book started off a little slow to me, but of course, seeing the four cupcake rating, it ultimately picked up speed and captivated me. Arden’s story was told so beautifully and readers will root for her 100% of the way. She feels so underappreciated and this road trip allows her to discover so many things about herself. I guess you could say that this is what I love and advocate for most of all: self-discovery. I did not care for Peter, especially after Arden finds out his secrets. But I will say that his character was a nice building tool for Arden; he allowed her to grow and learn to look past what she sees as flaws in herself. I will say that this book is not my most favorite by Sales, but it is so worth the read!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in exchange for my honest review***